Pitching
Writing a digital PR pitch
Write a concise digital PR pitch with a clear story point, relevant reader angle, checkable evidence and a practical next step.
A digital PR pitch should show a journalist the story, why it matters to their readers and how to check it.
Lead with the supported finding or confirmed change, then give its scope and main limit.
Offer the material and people who can explain it.
The journalist decides whether and how to pursue the story.
Start with one supported point
Write the point in one sentence before drafting the email. Name what changed or was found, who it concerns and when.
If the sentence says only that the company has launched something or is pleased with a result, identify what someone outside the company would learn. An accurate announcement may still be better suited to a customer update.
Check the basis for the point. For a numerical finding, know what was counted, the group and period covered, the denominator and any material exclusions. For a service change, confirm what has happened, when and to whom it applies.
Describe a plan as a plan. Hold a claim that cannot yet be explained or supported.
Write for the recipient
Approach a publication whose readers could use the information. Check the relevant section and the journalist’s recent work, then give one specific reason the material suits them.
The subject line should describe the supported point in plain language. Avoid a slogan, an unsupported superlative or an urgency label without a real deadline.
State the finding or change in the opening sentence, including the qualification needed to understand it. Follow with the question it helps that publication’s readers answer. Keep company background below the story point unless it is essential to understanding the news.
Keep the email usable
Put the pitch in the email body rather than an attachment. ABC pitching guidance recommends a succinct pitch of two or three sentences, or up to a paragraph or two, with every sentence earning its place.
Use that as a prompt to remove repetition, not as a target to fill.
For a specialist subject, briefly explain an unfamiliar term and why the information matters. ABC guidance cautions against assuming the editor knows a niche area; concise context can make the significance clear without pushing the supported point out of the opening.
Make the evidence easy to inspect
- What happened or was found, and where and when?
- What record, data or person with direct knowledge supports it?
- Which group does the point cover, and what can it not establish?
- Why would this publication’s readers care?
- What document, table or available person can the journalist consult next?
Name only material you can supply. An interview offer is useful when the person is available and can explain the claim.
Ask whether the journalist would like a specific document or conversation. Do not make a favourable angle, a link or advance approval of an editorial article a condition of access.
Distinguish a recorded fact from your interpretation of it, and attribute figures supplied by another organisation to their source. ABC Editorial Policies says reasonable efforts should be made to verify facts, whether they come from the content maker or someone else, and to present material facts in context.
Make the request specific
If you are offering an interview, name the proposed interviewee, say whether the interview is confirmed and explain what they can address.
ABC pitching guidance recommends making confirmed interviews clear; do not imply that an unconfirmed booking is arranged.
Give a realistic estimate of how long interviews or any proposed writing will take, and when you could deliver a draft if one is requested. ABC pitching guidance recommends including these timings so the editor can assess the proposal against their needs.
Check the email before sending
Read the subject line, opening and evidence note together. A result among one company’s customers must not become a claim about Australians generally.
A correlation must not become a causal explanation. Put a limit beside the claim it changes, where it will be seen.
Keep product or service claims accurate and supported by the relevant records.
Send when the point, recipient and supporting material are ready. Keep a record of the wording sent so you can answer questions or correct an error.
The ACCC says it can require businesses to back up claims they make about products or services. If a business misleads, the ACCC may investigate and take compliance or enforcement action.
Regulatory guidelines for accurate PR claims in Australia
- ACCC enforcement action
- Can require businesses to back up claims about products or services
- ABC Editorial Policy
- Requires reasonable efforts to verify facts and present them in context
- Press Council standards
- Emphasise truth, fairness and accountability in public communication
- ACMA spam rules
- Prohibits unsolicited commercial messages without consent
In this guide
- Leading with the finding rather than company praiseWrite a PR pitch opening that states the checkable finding, its limits and its relevance to readers before company background.
- Explaining the evidence behind a proposed storyShow the source, measure, group, period and limits behind a proposed PR story so a journalist can decide what to verify.
- Writing a follow-up that adds useful informationDecide when a PR pitch follow-up is justified and write a short update that adds verified information, a correction or requested material.
